Bought two items, which metal are they?

Hello. I bought two gold-colour jewels for a few coins at a flea market. Which material could they be inside?

• They do not have any hallmark or label.
  
• They do not respond at all to a strong magnet.
  
• They sink quickly to the bottom when immersed in water.
  
• They do not discolour when soaked in white vinegar for 30 minutes.
  

Could I ask which country you bought them in? If it is the UK there are rules about hallmarking precious metals above a certain weight, and I would think that your items would be above that weight if they were gold or indeed plated silver. It is possible that they are gold plated base metal, which wouldn't need to be hallmarked and wouldn't attract a magnet, it would also sink in water - as most metals would. From the photos I would say that they are pleasant pieces of costume jewellery, but the only way to be sure is to have the metal analysed. There are tests based on weight for solid pieces, but chains are difficult given the amount of solder involved in their manufacture and the brooch has the pearls which, again, could confuse the issue. If you are really keen to find out I would suggest you take the items to a jeweller (preferably one who deals in second-hand/antique pieces, as high street jewellery shop staff tend to be sales people rather than jewellers) and ask for an opinion.

PS Welcome to the Forum.

ultimatebeginner wrote:Hello. I bought two gold-colour jewels for a few coins at a flea market. Which material could they be inside?

• They do not have any hallmark or label.
  
• They do not respond at all to a strong magnet.
  
• They sink quickly to the bottom when immersed in water.
  
• They do not discolour when soaked in white vinegar for 30 minutes.
  

Weigh just the chain, and then do a specific gravity test on it. The one with the pearls will be difficult to do. You have 2 other options, 1 is to buy yourself a cheap told testing kit, it would involve a tiny scratch. 
The second which I suggest is bringing it to a pawn shop or jeweller with a XRF machine and get it tested. I am planning on purchasing one for the forum when it gets really busy. But it is a HUGE expense to lay out.


if there are no marking, it could be GF ( gold filled ) or plated, but I strongly think it will be Gold filled. Very common in jewellery because it lasts a long time.

Thanks for the responses. I don't know where the items originate. A specific gravity test returned 4.3 g/cm³ for the ankle bracelet and 2.5 for the brooch. I could not rule out the pearls.

ultimatebeginner wrote:Thanks for the responses. I don't know where the items originate. A specific gravity test returned 4.3 g/cm³ for the ankle bracelet and 2.5 for the brooch. I could not rule out the pearls.

Pearls are relatively cheap to buy so that wont give you any indicators to the metal. If it is not stamped I would assume it is just gold plated and it might have a copper coat. Most items don't have nickel in them anymore and this is too new to have it. 

CU or Copper will react like you mentioned. 

And the test will show close to gold in some respects.

Anyway here is a good chart to help

https://www.stenaaluminium.com/aluminium-alloys-and-services/alloy-specifications/

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